Written Answers Thursday 13 September 2007

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to meet the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to create a fairer deal for primary producers.

Richard Lochhead: We are currently establishing a new and improved working relationship with all the major supermarkets with stores across Scotland. We intend to hold meetings with them all in the near future, hear more about their policies, and in particular their sourcing policies and relationships with their Scottish suppliers.

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to use Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme forage definitions or Integrated Administration and Control System land classifications in the assessment of applications to the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme after 2010 and what the reasons are for the choice.

Richard Lochhead: We await the publication of the European Commission’s fresh designation proposals in 2008 for the future of Less Favoured Areas post-2010, and what this will mean for Scotland. Following this, proposals will be developed for a Less Favoured Area Support Scheme for the period 2010-13, and will be subject to a full consultation exercise.

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been submitted by Shetland crofters or farmers to the Organic Aid Scheme for each year since 2005 and how many were successful.

Richard Lochhead: There were no applications to the Organic Aid Conversion Scheme (OASC) submitted by Shetland crofters or farmers in 2005. There were two applications in 2006, one of which was successful.

  There were five applications to the Organic Aid Maintenance Scheme (OASM) in 2005, four of which were successful. There were two applications in 2006, neither of which were successful.

Agriculture

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation has been made of the suitability of the use of Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme forage definitions when assessing Organic Aid Scheme applications from Shetland and what the outcome has been of any such evaluation.

Richard Lochhead: The forage definition in the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (SFGS) (which opened in 2003), is not used as a basis for assessing forage in the Organic Aid Scheme (OAS).

Air Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with British Airways and Loganair about their Orkney services and, in particular, about the impact of ground handling arrangements at Heathrow Airport.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Executive has had no recent meetings with either British Airways or Loganair Ltd. We acknowledge that the delivery of ground handling arrangements has been less than satisfactory and we will raise the issue with both airlines.

Air Services

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that air services to Orkney remain a key priority for airlines and are connected with the global airline networks.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Executive’s Air Discount Scheme acknowledges that air service provision in Orkney is a key priority and one of the by-products of the Scheme has been an increasing frequency in air services serving Orkney. Through the services provided by Loganair Ltd there are connections to the global airline network through its franchise agreement with British Airways.

Central Heating Programme

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will remove the £3,500 cap on its free central heating programme.

Stewart Maxwell: I currently have no plans to remove the cap.

Child Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution it makes to local authority school clothing grants.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government contributes to local authority school clothing grants through the "School Hostels and Clothing" GAE assessment which forms part of the calculation of the local government finance settlement. In 2007-08, £27 million was distributed under this heading. However, this is not a spending target, only a means of distributing the available grant. GAE is then met by central government through Revenue Support Grant and a share of the overall non-domestic rates total, as well as local authority sources of funding. Local authorities are under a duty to provide clothing grants, but how much they spend on them is left to their discretion.

Child Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost is of funding the school clothing grant, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: We do not hold the information requested centrally.

Child Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level is of school clothing grant, broken down by local authority.

Adam Ingram: The following table contains the level of School Clothing Grants, broken down by local authority for 2005-06. This is the most recent information available at this time centrally.

  Gross Expenditure on School Clothing by Local Authority, 2005-06 (£000)

  

Aberdeen City
224


Aberdeenshire
113


Angus
160


Argyll and Bute
143


Clackmannanshire
81


Dumfries and Galloway
126


Dundee City
318


East Ayrshire
331


East Dunbartonshire
138


East Lothian
91


East Renfrewshire
125


Edinburgh, City of
283


Eilean Siar
36


Falkirk
277


Fife
849


Glasgow City
1,726


Highland
283


Inverclyde
89


Midlothian
100


Moray
54


North Ayrshire
385


North Lanarkshire
541


Orkney Islands
7


Perth and Kinross
74


Renfrewshire
415


Scottish Borders
77


Shetland Islands
19


South Ayrshire
220


South Lanarkshire
660


Stirling
122


West Dunbartonshire
270


West Lothian
310


Scotland
8,647



  Source: LFR1 2005-06.

Child Welfare

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce new guidance on the recommended levels of school clothing grant.

Adam Ingram: There are no plans to issue new guidance on recommended levels of school clothing grants at present.

Child Welfare

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average hours of overtime were worked by staff employed to care for looked-after children in (a) day units and (b) residential settings, including secure accommodation, in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: This is a matter for employers. The information requested is not held centrally.

Child Welfare

Bob Doris (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the Historical Abuse Systemic Review: Residential Care for Children and Young People in Scotland 1950-1995 will be submitted.

Adam Ingram: I have agreed Mr Tom Shaw’s request for approval to submit his report of the Historical Abuse Systemic Review: Residential Care for Children and Young People in Scotland 1950-1995 by 15 November 2007. It will be published shortly thereafter.

Childcare Act 2006

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any equivalent duty on Scottish local authorities to that which the Childcare Act 2006 will place on local authorities in England to secure sufficient childcare to enable parents to work or undertake education and training leading to work and, if not, what plans it has to ensure that parents in Scotland who wish to work or study will have the same access to childcare as parents in England.

Adam Ingram: There is no statutory duty on Scottish local authorities to provide child care for parents wishing to enter employment, training or education. Under the existing Childcare Strategy, the responsibility for ensuring that there is sufficient childcare in the area for those parents who require it falls to local authorities, in conjunction with the local child care partnership. The annual Pre-School and Childcare Census provides national data on child care provision.

  There are no plans at present to make this a statutory duty in Scotland. The Scottish Government has a number of concerns about proposed welfare reforms set out in the recent green paper and has made representations to the UK Government on this matter.

  The Scottish Government currently provides a range of supports for child care. The Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) assessment for the Childcare Strategy amounts to over £44 million for 2007-08. In addition, the Working for Families initiative helps build up local childcare provision. Funding of £15 million for this initiative has been allocated to a selection of authorities for the period 2007-08. The fund aims to break down the barriers faced by vulnerable parents entering or sustaining employment, education or training. As well as supporting parents through advice, guidance and training, the fund has helped increase child care provision, including through the creation of sitter services and the development of the childminding sector.

  Early years policy in general is currently under review as part of the development of a new early years strategy.

Class Sizes

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to reduce class sizes in primary 1 to 3.

Adam Ingram: We will be working with Education Authorities and Universities delivering initial teacher training to ensure we can drive down class sizes in a managed and staged way which maintains teacher quality, recognises classroom pressures and continuity of class configurations, which will deliver practical progress to classes of 18 in P1 to P3.

  These factors, together with the Spending Review, will drive the timeframe for delivery, by making year-on-year progress towards our target.

  This approach has been recognised by teaching professionals as the best way to delivering our policy of class sizes of 18 in P1 to P3 across Scotland.

Constitution

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has made of the consequences of the Scottish Government assuming responsibility for social security and pensions, as outlined in Choosing Scotland’s Future: a National Conversation , and whether it will publish such analysis.

Linda Fabiani: The government believes that devolution could be extended to a range of areas which could bring Scotland the benefits and flexibility discussed in the white paper.

  The national conversation will allow the people to express their views on areas for further devolution, and the government will consider these as the conversation progresses.

Culture

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in the establishment of Creative Scotland.

Linda Fabiani: The First Minister announced, on 5 September 2007, the Scottish Government’s intention to introduce legislation to establish Creative Scotland. Alongside this, the joint board of the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Screen, led by Dr Richard Holloway, are working to bring about an amalgamation of the existing bodies, and to develop proposals for the new ways in which Creative Scotland can stimulate and champion creativity.

Defence

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2874 by Bruce Crawford on 27 August 2007, what organisations have been contacted about participating in the proposed summit in opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2874 by Bruce Crawford on 27 August 2007, when it first contacted organisations about participating in the proposed summit in opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Bruce Crawford: During the debate on 14 June 2007 the Scottish Parliament showed clear opposition to the UK Government’s plans to replace Trident and support for the Scottish Government’s vision of a Scotland without nuclear weapons.

  As part of the National Conversation with the Scottish public on the options for constitutional change and the way we govern ourselves, we will be holding a summit in October with a range of people and organisations to discuss what Scotland might look like without nuclear weapons and consider their impact on Scotland and the Scottish Government’s devolved responsibilities.

  A number of organisations have been approached informally to ascertain if they would be prepared to attend the summit if invited to do so. Invitations will be issued shortly.

Dentistry

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-102 by Shona Robison on 7 June 2007, what provision it has made towards the cost of taking forward plans for implementation of its commitment to deliver a dental school in Aberdeen in the (a) current financial year and (b) financial year 2008-09.

Shona Robison: NHS Grampian is currently preparing a business case which will include detailed costings for the establishment of the new dental school in Aberdeen. The cost of the project will be met from a number of Scottish Government funding streams.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked local authorities to take account of its policy intention of reducing class sizes to 18 in P1, P2 and P3 when drawing up plans for school closures.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government’s position on class size reductions has been clearly signalled to authorities. Existing guidance on school closures already makes clear that it is for authorities to identify and take account of all relevant factors that bear on any closure proposal under consideration.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact its policy intention of reducing class sizes in P1, P2 and P3 would have on the capacity of primary schools in Edinburgh.

Maureen Watt: This will be a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council to determine. The Scottish Government has already provided the council with a £2.345 million share of an additional £40 million of capital grant this year towards alleviating some of the most acute pressures in schools.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many school closure decisions have been referred to it on the grounds that a school was over 80% full.

Maureen Watt: There have been 26 such cases since May 1999.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it will employ when making decisions about school closures that are referred to it on the grounds that the school is over 80% full.

Maureen Watt: Such cases are considered on the basis of their individual circumstances and merits, and in light of the Additional Guidance on Local Authority Proposals for the School Estate, including School Closures  issued by the Scottish Executive in September 2004.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any reliable research that suggests that primaries schools with between 100 and 200 pupils perform less effectively that those with between 400 and 500 pupils.

Maureen Watt: Primary schools operate effectively, and necessarily, with rolls of varying sizes. The Scottish Government is not aware of any reliable basis which might point to optimum sizes for various categories of school.

Education

Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any reliable research that suggests that secondary schools with approximately 500 pupils perform less effectively than those with over 900 pupils.

Maureen Watt: Secondary schools operate effectively, and necessarily, with rolls of varying sizes. The Scottish Government is not aware of any reliable basis which might point to optimum sizes for various categories of school.

Employment

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions have taken place with the appropriate authorities and interested parties concerning the employment of former service personnel discharged from the armed services as a result of wounds or injuries they have suffered in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Nicola Sturgeon: Employment is reserved to the UK Government. In addition, the MOD have responsibility for the resettlement, which includes employment opportunities, of former service personnel who have been medically discharged.

  There have been no discussions specific to this group. However, Poppy Scotland has been involved in wider discussions about supported employment for people disadvantaged in the labour market, particularly people with disabilities.

Enterprise

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what contacts ministers have had with BP between 16 May and 14 August 2007 (a) by telephone and (b) in face-to-face meetings, giving the dates of such contacts.

Jim Mather: I met with representatives of BP on the 25 June 2007 as part of a seminar I led on energy policy.

  The First Minister met with a representative of BP, among other companies, on 18 July 2007 to discuss carbon capture opportunities for Scotland and has had a number of telephone conversations on this subject but dates and details are not recorded.

Enterprise

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism has spoken to the Chairman of Scottish Enterprise Borders concerning the review of the enterprise networks.

Jim Mather: The nominated Chair of Scottish Enterprise Borders was one of a number of LEC Chairs who met with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and I on Monday 3 September to discuss the reform of the enterprise networks.

Enterprise

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the result of its consultation process on the review of the enterprise networks.

Jim Mather: An announcement on the reform proposals for the enterprise networks is expected in the autumn.

Enterprise

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will clarify its proposals for the future of the Scottish Enterprise network.

Jim Mather: An announcement on the reform proposals for the enterprise networks is expected in the autumn.

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional political powers ministers believe are necessary in order for it to make Scotland a cleaner, greener place to live and what relevance this has to combating climate change.

Richard Lochhead: Choosing Scotland’s Future was published on 14 August 2007 to provide a starting point and inspiration for a national conversation on the best type of government for Scotland’s future. There are numerous additional political powers, a number of which are outlined in this document, where the Scottish Government believes that the additional devolution of powers currently reserved to the United Kingdom Parliament and government would improve coherence and accountability, including in the delivery of the government’s greener strategic objective, which includes combating climate change.

Environment

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle the increasing coverage of bracken in Scotland.

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to farmers, crofters and landowners who wish to remove bracken coverage on land.

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing a bracken clearance scheme.

Richard Lochhead: Support has been available through agri-environment schemes such as the Rural Stewardship Scheme, the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme and the Countryside Premium Scheme to assist farmers and crofters to control bracken. Subject to the terms of agreements under these schemes, payments to farmers and crofters continue to be made for this purpose.

  Within the Crofting Counties, crofters and other small farmers can qualify for support for bracken control under the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme.

  In future, support for control of bracken will be available to land managers under options included in the Scotland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 for which we expect to receive European Union approval by the end of this year.

Environment

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the environmental impact of setting a set-aside rate of 0%.

Richard Lochhead: The European Commission has not yet taken a decision on the proposal to reduce the compulsory set-aside rate from 10% to zero for 2008. Representations have, however, been received from Scottish environmental organisations, who are concerned about the possible loss of benefits to birds and other wildlife. We are currently assessing these concerns.

Environment

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will put in place to retain the environmental benefits of set-aside if the rate is set at 0%.

Richard Lochhead: The European Commission has not yet taken a decision on the proposal to reduce the compulsory set-aside rate from 10% to zero for 2008. We are, however, currently considering the possible need for measures to mitigate any loss of environmental benefits which might occur. My officials will be exploring these issues with environmental and farming organisations.

Environment

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that a 0% set-aside rate will not have negative impact on the corn bunting which is a high-priority Biodiversity Action Plan species and a red-listed species of conservation concern.

Richard Lochhead: The European Commission has not yet taken a decision on the proposal to reduce the compulsory set-aside rate from 10% to zero for 2008. However, at present, land managers will be able to receive support to carry out a number of agri-environment options in the Scottish Rural Development Plan 2007-2013, when approved, which will benefit the corn bunting. These options include the management of mown grassland for corn buntings, wild bird seed mix/unharvested crop, biodiversity cropping on in-bye and the management of cropped machair.

  Support will also continue through existing agri-environment schemes, such as the Rural Stewardship Scheme, which also contain measures to directly benefit the corn bunting.

Europe

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with EU ministers and officials since May 2007 and what issues were discussed.

Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Government has had many meetings with the EU since May 2007. Focusing on ministerial meetings, the First Minister met European Commissioners Borg (Fisheries and Maritime Affairs), Grybauskaite (Budget), Mandelson (Trade) and McCreevy (Internal Market and Services) when visiting Brussels on 11 July. He discussed a range of Scottish interests in relation to each of the Commissioners portfolios.

  He also met with Commissioner Piebalgs (Energy) in Edinburgh on 19 July where carbon capture and storage projects, renewable energy targets and other energy issues were discussed.

  The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and I met with Commissioner Figel (Education) on 28 June where we discussed higher education issues, the European Institute of Technology and the Erasmus programme.

  Richard Lochhead, along with the EU Commission, Ministers and representatives from all the other member states, attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 11-12 June where the main issues on the agenda were: reform of the fruit and vegetables sector, rules on organic production and labelling, a single Common Market Organisation, recovery plans for Baltic cod, for blue fin tuna and for European eel, and the Greenland fisheries partnership.

  Finally, this is not the appropriate forum for me to list each of the many meetings that Scottish Government officials have had with the EU Institutions since May. However, I will say that Scottish Government officials, from our EU Office in Brussels, and from Scotland, frequently attend working group meetings in the Council of the EU as well as management committees chaired by the Commission.

  Officials also attend meetings in the European Parliament and have discussions with European Commission officials on issues of importance to Scotland, particularly in relation to fisheries, agriculture, justice, structural funds, energy and environment matters.

European Funding

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding has been received by Perth and Kinross Council for each of the last 10 years.

Jim Mather: Details of European Structural Funds received by Perth and Kinross Council in each year between 2000 and 2006 can be found in the following table. Figures for 1997-99 are only available for the period as a whole, not individual years. The grant awarded was £223,252 and the grant allocated was £204,289.

  

Year
Grant Awarded
Grant Allocated


2006
£182,112
£752


2005
£201,261
£87,683


2004
£259,039
£214,582


2003
£225,279
£166,341


2002
£329,888
£244,860


2001
£136,361
£137,245


2000
£291,400
£221,299

European Funding

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding has been received by Stirling Council for each of the last 10 years.

Jim Mather: Details of European Structural Funds received by Stirling Council in each year between 2000 and 2006 can be found in the following attached.

  Figures from 1997-99 are only available for the period as a whole, not individual years, the Grant Awarded in total was £4,241,145 and the Grant Allocated was £3,699,454. The figures from 1997 to 1999 do not include LEADER II Programme information. This programme was delivered through enterprise networks and no figures are available at local authority level.

  

Year
Grant Awarded
Grant Allocated


2006
£1,943,970
£1,696,586


2005
£10,909,140
£1,447,530


2004
£1,905,495
£1,474,601


2003
£656,017
£521,028


2002
£447,013
£462,690


2001
£2,082,093
£1,873,062


2000
£860,308
£765,938

European Funding

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding has been received by Clackmannanshire Council for each of the last 10 years.

Jim Mather: Details of European Structural Funds received by Clackmannanshire Council in each year between 2000-06 can be found in the attached table. Figures for 1997-99 are only available for the period as a whole, the grant awarded was £1,677,256 and the grant allocated was £1,444,588.

  

Year
Grant Awarded
Grant Allocated


2006
£462,164
£464,872


2005
£464,434
£414,536


2004
£736,992
£712,679


2003
£915,883
£887,129


2002
£2,299,910
£1,812,003


2001
£855,124
£695,299


2000
£1,215,871
£822,865

European Funding

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding has been received by Fife Council for each of the last 10 years.

Jim Mather: Details of European Structural Funds received by Fife Council in each year between 2000-06 can be found in the following table.

  Figures for 1997-99 are only available for the period as a whole, not individual years, the grant awarded was £10,715,153 and the grant allocated was £8,812,288.

  The figures from 1997 to 1999 do not include LEADER II Programme information. This programme was delivered through enterprise networks and no figures are available at local authority level.

  

Year
Grant Awarded
Grant Allocated


2006
£2,905,362
£2,582,017


2005
£6,825,879
£4,677,867


2004
£6,573,102
£5,525,043


2003
£3,729,457
£3,522,742


2002
£4,443,026
£3,770,755


2001
£4,996,381
£3,955,262


2000
£5,074,705
£4,277,917

Ferry Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the application of road equivalent tariff fares will provide islands served by longer ferry routes with a real benefit and that it will not widen any competitive disadvantage that such islands face in comparison with islands served by shorter routes.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to apply some form of road equivalent tariff fare to passengers and vehicles travelling on all ferry services to and between islands and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government recognises the vital importance of supporting Scotland’s island communities. We understand the genuine concerns from all of our remote and fragile communities about the affordability of ferry travel and the impact that has on island economies. The needs of islanders are our priority. We want to see a Road Equivalent Tariff scheme developed that will bring real benefits for islanders. Focussing the pilot on the Western Isles will allow us to take informed decisions on the potential roll-out of the scheme and of the associated costs and benefits.

Ferry Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment was made of the likely range of vehicle and passenger road equivalent tariff (RET) rates per mile prior to the appointment of consultants to undertake the study into the benefits of RET, which allowed ministers to predict that RET would provide islanders with cheaper fares, and whether that prediction applies to all ferry services to and between islands.

Stewart Stevenson: Our expectation is that fares based on Road Equivalent Tariff would be significantly lower than present fares charged across the Clyde and Hebrides and Northern Isles routes. However, there is no previous experience of Road Equivalent Tariff in the UK and some advice is required on how the concept would translate into the precise fares charged on individual routes. This is an area that our consultants have been asked to consider in preparation for the pilot exercise.

Ferry Services

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used when deciding to limit the consultants’ choice of routes for consideration under the road equivalent tariff pilot study to one or more of the routes connecting the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles and how these criteria were applied to each of the public ferry routes to and between islands.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which ferry routes were considered for the pilot study into the application of road equivalent tariff (RET) to ferry routes before it decided to limit the choice of its consultants undertaking the study into the benefits of RET to one or more of the routes connecting the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions were held with (a) Orkney Islands Council, (b) Shetland Islands Council, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Argyll and Bute Council and (e) Highland Council before it decided on the terms for the appointment of the consultants undertaking the study into the benefits of road equivalent tariff and, in particular, before it decided to limit the consultants’ choice of routes for consideration for inclusion in the pilot study to one or more of the routes connecting the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles and how each council responded to the proposals put to them.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions were held with (a) Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership and (b) Zetland Transport Partnership before it decided on the terms for the appointment of the consultants undertaking the study into the benefits of road equivalent tariff and, in particular, before it decided to limit the consultants’ choice of routes for consideration for inclusion in the pilot study to one or more of the routes connecting the Scottish mainland and the Western Isles and how each regional transport partnership responded to the proposals put to them.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government came into office with a manifesto commitment saying that we would "commission a study into road equivalent tariff (RET) reporting on options for improved connections to our northern and western isles" and that "as part of this we will undertake a pilot project on RET to the Western Isles". That is precisely what we are now doing.

  In taking forward this commitment we have engaged consultants to carry out the study including the monitoring and evaluation of the pilot. The consultants have been asked to liaise with a range of stakeholders during the study including local authorities and regional transport partnerships. When appropriate, the Scottish Government will be involved in these discussions.

Ferry Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out its programme for the study into the benefits of applying a road equivalent tariff (RET) to the fares on ferry routes and its subsequent plans to introduce RET, also indicating when (a) the review consultants are to report to ministers, (b) ministers intend to make public their plans for the introduction of RETs and (c) ministers plan to cut ferry fares to RET levels.

Stewart Stevenson: The study will comprise three phases, an initial largely desk-based study to inform the pilot exercise, a subsequent pilot study in the Western Isles and a full evaluation of the impact and benefits of road equivalent tariff based on the evidence gathered during the pilot. The first phase of the study has begun and the consultants will provide a draft report to the Scottish Government by the end of the year. The report will provide recommendations on the timing of the pilot exercise bearing in mind that lead time is required to prepare for implementation. The pilot will begin as soon as practically possible.

Fisheries

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment has met to discuss fisheries issues, also indicating how often he has met them.

Richard Lochhead: Since my appointment I have had meetings to discuss fisheries issues with representatives of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Shetland Fishermen’s Association, Orkney Fishermen’s Association, Mallaig and North West Fishermen’s Association, Fishermen’s Association Ltd, the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation, the Scottish Pelagic Fishermens Association, the Scottish Whitefish Producers, Fraserburgh fishmarket, International Fish Canners, Youngs Seafood and Macrae Foods.

Fisheries

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that Eyemouth and the Berwickshire coastline will be given fisheries dependent area status within the EU Fisheries Fund programme for 2007 to 2013, in light of the importance of the fisheries industry in these areas.

Richard Lochhead: Eyemouth and the Berwickshire coastline is one of many areas in Scotland being considered for fisheries dependent area status within the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) programme for 2007 to 2013. The selection criteria for fisheries dependent area status, which are yet to be agreed, will form part of the draft Operational Programme for EFF which will be the subject of a full public consultation.

Flood Prevention

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many floods there have been that required a response from at least one of the emergency services each year since 1980.

Michael Russell: Flooding is dealt with at the local level by local authorities. Each local authority publishes biennially a report covering instances of flooding in their area. While these reports may contain some of the requested information there is no prescribed form. The most recent reports were published in November 2005 and are held by each local authority. We do not collect or hold this information centrally.

Health

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to protect human health, in light of the increasing number of cases of Lyme disease caused by ticks in Scotland.

Shona Robison: We are aware that the incidence of Lyme disease appears to be increasing and I have already discussed this with the Minister for Environment. Health Protection Scotland (HPS) currently publishes guidance on Lyme disease on its website and distributes guidance to health boards for dissemination to clinicians involved in treating members of the public. HPS are also participating in research work with the UK Health Protection Agency.

  The Scottish Government is currently considering the reasons for the increase in reported incidences of Lyme Disease and whether any additional action is required. We are consulting Health Protection Scotland and Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, which is the specialist centre in Scotland for diagnostic testing for Lyme disease. In addition, the Minister for Environment has agreed to hold a meeting with a range of interested parties including those with countryside and rural business interests and recreational groups, to discuss the impact of ticks and Lyme disease and to consider what action might be taken.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that terminally ill patients have the choice to die at home.

Shona Robison: NHS boards have a role to ensure a care package is provided which offers appropriate medical care and support for every patient, including end of life services. As far as possible, they should ensure that the needs and wishes of the patient and their family are met. The Scottish Government fully supports and endorses the principle of choice and welcomes initiatives that increase and support the choices of patients. We have indicated our support for the voluntary sector involvement in caring for patients with life ending illnesses. The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care provides a unique forum for the development and implementation of palliative care strategy and good practice, a comprehensive communication network, and a source of expert advice and guidance for practitioners, service managers, planners and policy managers. Many charities and voluntary organisations are active in this area including Marie Curie Cancer Care. Its work in NHS Tayside through the Delivering Choice Programme has the potential to identify further opportunities specifically to support patients who wish to die at home. We await with interest, the results of this programme, which is currently being piloted. However, the choice has to be properly informed so that patients who opt to die at home do so in the full understanding of the support they may need.

Health

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected increase is in the number of (a) women, (b) men, (c) children and (d) adolescents who will be (i) overweight and (ii) obese in each year until 2010, broken down by NHS board area.

Shona Robison: Projections in levels of overweight and obesity have not been calculated for Scotland to date. This type of analysis requires extensive trend data on which to base projections, and currently there is not sufficient trend data available for Scotland. However, from 2008, following the redesign of the Scottish Health Survey, data on overweight and obesity will be available on an annual basis and will provide an opportunity for the calculation of projections in future.

Higher Education

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the aims are of the investment made by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in the UHI Millennium Institute and what terms and conditions apply to the investment.

Jim Mather: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you in response to this question.

Higher Education Funding

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that Scottish universities are able to maintain their competitive edge in the face of increased funding for universities in England and Wales.

Fiona Hyslop: Scottish higher education institutions benefit from high levels of public investment and remain competitive with the sector in England and Wales. We are strongly committed to supporting the sector and will make investment in higher education a priority in the forthcoming spending review.

Housing

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes have been made available for occupation as a result of rural empty properties grants in (a) Scotland and (b) Dumfries and Galloway.

Stewart Maxwell: Since 1989, 91 homes have been made available for occupation in Scotland as a result of rural empty property grants. None of these has been in Dumfries and Galloway.

Housing

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with City of Edinburgh Council options for partial housing stock transfers to community-based housing associations with a view to achieving debt write-off and new investment in social housing in the city.

Stewart Maxwell: I recently met with the City of Edinburgh Council where a number of housing related matters were discussed, including investment in social housing in the city.

Housing

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when and in what form it will introduce housing education in schools.

Maureen Watt: As part of their citizenship and financial education programmes, schools already have the option of including housing education as part of their work in preparing senior pupils for the transition to adulthood.

Housing

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a national landlord accreditation scheme, based on the Edinburgh Landlord Accreditation Scheme, to promote higher standards in private accommodation and, if so, whether it will provide financial incentives for landlords to opt into such a scheme.

Stewart Maxwell: I announced on 26 August 2007 that the Scottish Government will provide start-up funding for a National Private Landlord Accreditation Scheme to promote high standards in the private rented sector.

  The Scottish Government is currently seeking applications from organisations interested in running the scheme. Applicants will be required to set out in their applications what type of incentives they would expect to be able to offer landlords and letting agents who join the scheme.

Housing

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the demand for new (a) affordable housing, (b) private sector housing and (c) commercial developments and what percentage of such required developments were unable to proceed due to objections by Scottish Water because of lack of water and sewerage infrastructure in the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Stewart Maxwell: Estimates of affordable housing need broken down by local authority area are contained in a report prepared by Professor Bramley for the Scottish Executive in November 2006. Further information can be found at: http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_016551.pdf .

  The other information requested is not held centrally.

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many evictions due to non-payment of rent have occurred in each year since 1990, broken down by local authority area.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Figures on evictions by local authorities due to rent arrears are not held centrally. The information on evictions for registered social landlords is not available at local authority level prior to 2003-04. Data on evictions due to rent arrears in the private sector are not collected centrally.

  The following table lists data for registered social landlords:

  

Local Authority
2006-07
2005-06
2004-05
2003-04


Scotland
719
516
631
563


Aberdeen City
50
6
17
34


Aberdeenshire
21
6
10
12


Angus
7
9
1
13


Argyll and Bute
5
0
6
2


City of Edinburgh
41
31
49
51


City of Glasgow
319
201
263
156


Clackmannanshire
12
18
9
4


Dumfries and Galloway
34
31
44
51


Dundee City
26
23
9
38


East Ayrshire
7
4
6
9


East Dunbartonshire
4
10
0
3


East Lothian
6
5
5
2


East Renfrewshire
3
0
5
3


Falkirk
4
21
12
11


Fife
13
19
26
33


Highland
8
11
20
8


Inverclyde
7
4
6
4


Midlothian
4
6
4
6


Moray
4
2
3
3


North Ayrshire
16
8
8
9


North Lanarkshire
14
13
15
29


Orkney Islands
0
0
1
3


Perth and Kinross
1
3
2
8


Renfrewshire
52
16
24
11


Scottish Borders
29
42
39
13


Shetland Islands
0
0
0
0


South Ayrshire
1
0
2
8


South Lanarkshire
8
9
12
5


Stirling
5
3
5
2


West Dunbartonshire
14
7
15
18


Western Isles
0
2
0
1


West Lothian
4
6
13
13



  Source: Annual Performance and Statistical Return by registered social landlords to Communities Scotland Regulation and Inspection Division.

International Relations

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult the Department for International Development on the additional countries to benefit from assistance from the overseas aid budget to ensure that efforts are complementary and properly targeted.

Linda Fabiani: I wrote to the Secretary of State for International Development on 6 July 2007 congratulating him on his appointment; confirming that I look forward to developing a constructive working relationship on international development matters, and expressing the hope that we could meet in the near future.

International Relations

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2900 by Linda Fabiani on 27 August 2007, what other countries with links to Scotland it intends to assist through the international development budget.

Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2900 by Linda Fabiani on 27 August 2007, what rationale it will use to decide which countries it assists.

Linda Fabiani: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-3643 on 4 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Justice

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges for driving without insurance that resulted in criminal proceedings were reported to procurators fiscal at (a) Inverness, (b) Dingwall, (c) Fort William, (d) Kirkwall, (e) Lerwick, (f) Lochmaddy, (g) Portree, (h) Stornoway, (i) Tain, and (j) Wick in each of the last three years.

Right Hon Elish Angiolini QC: The numbers of charges reported to procurators fiscal which resulted in court proceedings for driving without insurance in each jurisdiction are shown in the following table.

  Charges: Offences Under Section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988

  

Procurator Fiscal Office
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07


Dingwall
88
105
126


Fort William
74
75
58


Inverness
313
268
335


Kirkwall
28
27
46


Lerwick
41
53
55


Lochmaddy
21
16
15


Portree
6
6
13


Stornoway
34
60
39


Tain
91
77
113


Wick
57
61
55



  Notes:

  1. The information in the table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s case management database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency, the database will record details only of the amended charge.

  2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

  3. The table reflects the position at 6 September 2007.

Marine Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how the existing network of marine sites designated under Natura 2000 meets the relevant obligations and targets set under the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic and the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is contributing to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) target of establishing marine protected areas by 2012 and the related target under the Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) developing an ecologically coherent network of well managed marine protected areas (MPA) by 2010. Under the range of criteria for selection of OSPAR MPAs contracting parties can report Natura 2000 protected areas as OSPAR MPAs.

  The Scottish Government has reported 31 marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) as OSPAR MPAs that provide protection for marine features of interest to OSPAR and which meet the MPA criteria established by OSPAR. Natura 2000 sites designated under the Birds and Habitats Directives that provide protection for marine features also contribute to WSSD commitments.

  The Scottish Government will keep under review whether other MPAs are required to complete our contribution under WSSD and OSPAR.

Marine Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers over marine planning it considers should be devolved under forthcoming UK marine legislation.

Richard Lochhead: I have already indicated to the Parliament my support for the Advisory Group on Marine and Coastal Strategy (AGMACS) recommendation on extending the Parliament’s powers over the marine environment. I am currently considering Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) proposals for a UK Marine Bill, and the implications for Scotland, and officials are also actively discussing the proposals with Defra.

  Choosing Scotland’s Future – A National Conversation, published in August, notes that acquisition by the Scottish Parliament of responsibility for planning and nature conservation in the marine area between 12 to 200 nautical miles would make possible a coherent approach to the management of the seas around Scotland.

Marine Environment

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what joint ministerial sub-committees have been formed with the UK Government; how often they have met, and whether proposals for forthcoming UK and Scottish marine legislation have been discussed at the meetings.

Richard Lochhead: No new sub-committees have been formed from the Joint Ministerial Committee since 2002. Only one sub-committee currently meets, the Joint Ministerial Committee (Europe), which meets four to five times a year, a few weeks in advance of the European Council meeting in Brussels. The forthcoming UK and Scottish marine legislation has not been discussed at these meetings.

Marine Environment

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its policy is that the Parliament should assume greater powers over nature conservation beyond 12 nautical miles and whether the devolution of further powers should be contingent on receiving specific funding from the UK Government to carry out these duties.

Richard Lochhead: I previously indicated to the Parliament my support for the Advisory Group on Marine and Coastal Strategy recommendation on extending the Parliament’s powers over the marine environment. Additionally, Choosing Scotland’s Future – A National Conversation , published in August, notes that acquisition by the Scottish Parliament of responsibility for planning and nature conservation in the marine area between 12 to 200 nautical miles would make possible a coherent approach to the management of the seas around Scotland.

  I am currently considering the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) proposals for a UK Marine Bill, and the implications for Scotland. Officials are also actively discussing the proposals with Defra, including the potential for further devolution of powers in the marine environment and the terms on which that could be achieved.

Marine Environment

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have taken place with the UK Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since May 2007 regarding the further devolution of nature conservation duties beyond 12 nautical miles.

Richard Lochhead: There is regular dialogue between the Scottish Government and the UK Government’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in relation to marine issues. The Scottish Government are considering the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ proposals for a UK Marine Bill and officials are actively discussing the issues, including the potential for further devolution.

Medication

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for treatments involving methylphenidate have been issued in each year since 1990.

Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of prescribed items for treatments involving methylphenidate hydrochloride (both standard and modified release preparations) prescribed in the community in Scotland. Data are presented for the financial years ending 31 March 1990 to 2007, inclusive. Data in the table refer to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital based clinics.

  Number of Prescribed Items – Year Ending 31 March

  

Year Ending 31 March
No of Prescription Items


1990
0


1991
0


1992
0


1993
0


1994
0


1995
0


1996
1,579


1997
4,911


1998
9,392


1999
14,302


2000
19,198


2001
22,384


2002
24,886


2003
30,276


2004
34,710


2005
37,888


2006
41,810


2007
48,739



  Source: ISD Scotland.

Medication

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for Ritalin have been issued in each year since 1990.

Shona Robison: The following table shows the number of prescribed items for Ritalin ® prescribed in the community in Scotland. Data are presented for the financial years ending 31 March 1996 to 2007, inclusive. Data in the table refer to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals or hospital based clinics.

  Number of Prescribed Items – Year Ending 31 March

  

Year Ending 31 March
Number of Prescription Items


1990
0


1991
0


1992
0


1993
0


1994
0


1995
0


1996
1,579


1997
4,911


1998
9,392


1999
14,302


2000
19,198


2001
20,433


2002
20,753


2003
16,624


2004
12,652


2005
7,753


2006
6,060


2007
4,201



  Source: ISD Scotland.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether mental health issues are taken into account in the assessment, referral and treatment of people with drug and alcohol addiction.

Shona Robison: Mental health issues should be taken into account in the assessment, referral and treatment of people with drug and alcohol addiction.

  A range of initiatives to improve mental health services were launched in December 2006. These include a specific commitment to building on existing work to publish practical measures and advice on better responses to those with co-occurring mental health and substance misuse problems. The report is currently out for public consultation and will be launched in December 2007.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will increase the capacity for cognitive behaviour therapy and whether programmes of this therapy will be extended to all areas of Scotland.

Shona Robison: We are working with NHS Education for Scotland to increase access to a range of evidence-based psychological therapies (including cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT). The 2006 discussion paper  Increasing the Availability of Evidence- Based Psychological Therapies in Scotland: a phase 1 plan outlines in detail the steps towards building national capacity, which includes training a range of staff at a range of levels in CBT to provide appropriate targeted support to a stepped care delivery model.

  The plan will be implemented over the next three to five years and is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/health/mental-health/servicespolicy/DFMH/psychtherapies.

  We are discussing the development of providing CBT based self-help in a variety of ways on a national basis to people with mild to moderate mental health problems. This will build on lessons learned from the Doing Well by people with Depression initiative and the on-going work of the Development Network.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what recognised depression assessment tool is used by GPs and whether this tool is used by other health professionals to identify symptoms of depression.

Shona Robison: The Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) for GPs requires the use of a screening tool for the identification of depression. Two screening instruments are referred to: the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Psychiatric Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Other health professionals also use these tools to screen in primary care settings.

  More sophisticated tools are used for the assessment of severity of depression and the outcome of treatment. These include research validated rating scales such as the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

  NHS Quality Improvement Scotland have developed standards for an integrated care pathway for depression, to be published later this year. These standards state that people presenting with depression should be assessed using a standardised tool such as the PHQ-9 or equivalent but does not specify a particular assessment tool to be used.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are for recruitment and training of staff to take on the responsibilities associated with cognitive behaviour therapy.

Shona Robison: We are working with NHS Education for Scotland (NES) to improve training for a range of staff in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) through a variety of initiatives. This includes working with partners to develop a national approach to training professionals in all disciplines in CBT at different levels, from specialist fully qualified CBT therapists to a broader range of staff, to support a stepped care model of delivery.

  NES are in also in discussions with NHS board areas to provide a resource to co-ordinate the implementation of this training and are collaborating with Skills for Health in the development of a core competency set for use alongside a range of psychological therapies (including CBT).

NHS Hospitals

Stuart McMillan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to intervene in the dispute relating to hospital car parking charges in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The introduction of car park charging is a local matter for NHS boards in accordance with the current Scottish Government guidance.

  However, I am currently deciding whether that guidance should be reviewed and will make an announcement shortly.

NHS Staff

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors have been employed by the NHS in Scotland in each year since 1999.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is available on the Information Services Division (ISD) workforce statistics website http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/796.html table A2.

NHS Staff

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors have been unable to find work in Scotland this year and in the two previous years.

Nicola Sturgeon: I would refer the member to my statement to the Health and Sport Committee on 27 June about the recruitment of junior doctors into training programmes in 2007 (Cols 12-15). The measures I announced then have been put in place, ensuring continuity of employment for junior doctors in Scotland. Information for earlier years is not available centrally.

Older People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3292 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, whether it or Argyll and Bute Council has the more accurate assessment of need for community care services for older people.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government’s needs based methodology for distributing the core support for local government takes into account a number of indicators of need. Each local authority is responsible for allocating this support taking into account not only its assessment of local need but also its own local priorities.

Older People

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3292 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what action it will take if Argyll and Bute Council fails to meet its statutory responsibilities for the assessment and delivery of services to older people in its area.

Shona Robison: Ministers have a range of options for taking action where they consider that a local authority is failing to meet its statutory responsibilities. The appropriate action in any specific case would depend on the facts and circumstances.

People with Learning Disabilities

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the hospitals providing long-stay services for those with learning difficulties that were open in 2006 have now closed, as forecast in NHS Quality Improvement Scotland: National Overview Learning Disability Services.

Shona Robison: Same as you? review of learning disability services, published in 2000, made clear that people’s homes should not be in hospital. One of its key recommendations was that at all long-stay learning disability hospitals should be closed by 2005. In 2006 the NHS QIS National Overview of Learning Disability Services identified seven health boards with remaining long-stay beds. Since then one area has finalised its closure programme. A deadline of 2007 was agreed through a programme of visits by the Scottish Government and NHS QIS with the remaining six boards.   The Scottish Government remains committed to ensuring that all long-stay hospitals for people with learning disabilities are closed and continues to monitor the six areas with people remaining in long-stay hospital based services. The last three boards to complete the closure programme are now committed to discharging all patients by July 2008. The extra time is required to build appropriate, quality accommodation and community resources. They continue to make efforts to ensure that appropriate support and care packages meet individuals needs in the new community environment.

People with Learning Disabilities

Bill Wilson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any long-stay hospital places for people with learning difficulties remain available and, if so, where these places are located.

Shona Robison: Same as you? acknowledged that some people with learning disabilities have specific additional and complex health needs which may require assessment and treatment in a hospital setting. A small number of assessment and treatment beds are available across all health boards in Scotland.

  The Scottish Government is currently undertaking a research study through the Royal College of Psychiatrists to establish why people with learning disabilities are in assessment and treatment beds. We plan to use this nationally to identify the best models of support and what barriers need to be overcome to ensure a consistent approach across Scotland.

Planning

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review existing guidelines relating to the granting of retrospective planning applications.

Stewart Stevenson: Where there has been a breach of planning control, planning authorities may request that a developer submits a retrospective planning application. The Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006 includes provisions which, when implemented, will enable planning authorities to take enforcement action in situations where a retrospective planning application is not submitted following such a request.

  We expect that these provisions will be implemented by summer 2008.

Planning

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it plans to lay the regulation for the new guidance on recreational and open space to replace Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to define valued and functional space in the new guidance replacing National Planning Policy Guideline: NPPG 11 - Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to protect open and green space that is not included in the definition of valued and functional space in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government plans to issue Scottish Planning Policy 11 (SPP 11) in the near future. The date of publication is not yet confirmed. Ministers are currently considering the text of the document and have made no final decisions in this regard.

Pre-School Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pre-school providers have closed in the last six months, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) type of provider.

Adam Ingram: The information requested for the past six months is not collected centrally.

  The annual pre-school and child care statistics provide information on the number of pre-school education providers by sector and local authority based on an annual census in January. The Pre-school and Childcare Statistics 2007 are due to be published on 27 September 2007.

Pre-School Education

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding allocation for each fully loaded private sector pre-school place has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Adam Ingram: Funding for pre-school education is provided through the core local government finance settlement. It is allocated as part of the block grant and is not provided as a per place allocation.

  The Scottish Government issues an advisory floor each year, which is the minimum amount that Scottish ministers expect should be paid to partner providers for a fully loaded pre-school education place. The advisory floor for the last three years was:

  

2005-06
£1,037
(412.5 hours)


2006-07
£1,250
(412.5 hours)


2007-08
£1,550
(475 hours)

Road Safety

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been conducted on the profile of those drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 most at risk of being involved in a road traffic accident.

Stewart Stevenson: Research examining characteristics and attitudes of young drivers was published by the Scottish Government in October 2005 in the report on the Creative Development and Evaluation of the SCRC Young Driver Campaign 2005 . This is a web only publication which can be accessed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/10/25130500 .

  Drivers in the 17 to 25 age group have been included in more general road safety research on prevalence and attitudes related to speeding, drink driving and drug driving. These include:

  The Speeding Driver: Who, How and Why (Published August 2003 - web only)

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/08/17977 (Full report).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/08/17981 (Summary Research Findings).

  Rural Road Safety – A literature Review (Published August 2005)

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/07/19153450 (Full report).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/07/19110507 (Summary Research Findings).

  Drinking and Driving: Prevalence, Decision-Making and Attitudes (Published December 2001)

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/blue/ddpda-00.asp (Full report).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/resfinds/drf128-00.asp (Summary Research Findings).

  Illicit Drugs and Driving (Published July 2006 - web only)

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/07/10105913 (Full report).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/07/10105943 (Summary Research Findings).

  Recreational Drugs and Driving (Published February 2001)

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/blue/prevalence-00.htm (Full report of prevalence survey).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/blue/druguse-00.htm (Full report of qualitative study).

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/resfinds/drf102-00.asp (Summary Research Findings of prevalence survey and qualitative study).

Road Safety

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to target road safety initiatives towards those drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 most at risk of being involved in a road traffic accident.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government plans to develop a 10 year road safety strategy for Scotland. A panel of experts has been set up to advise on appropriate initiatives, including measures to improve the safety of young drivers.

  Through Road Safety Scotland, the Scottish Government is targeting publicity on speeding, drink and drug driving and seat belt use at drivers aged between 17 and 25 years.

  "Crash Magnets", an educational resource for upper secondary pupils, aims to influence attitudes to driving behaviour before young people get behind the wheel. A website to support and enhance the resource, www.CrashMagnets.com, was launched earlier this year.

Road Safety

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish research into whether the pilot scheme to offer subsidised Pass Plus places in the Grampian Police area was successful at targeting the drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 most at risk of being involved in a road traffic accident.

Stewart Stevenson: Research has shown that around one in five new drivers is involved in an accident within one year of passing their driving test. The Pass Plus pilot scheme encouraged all drivers between 17 and 25 years of age, resident in the pilot areas and who had passed their driving test within the last 12 months, to apply for a grant towards the cost of Pass Plus. The aim was to increase uptake of Pass Plus among the target group and we are currently evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot scheme in increasing uptake of Pass Plus. Information on the uptake of Pass Plus will be made available in due course.

  It should be noted, however, that because the scheme is entirely voluntary there will always be drivers within this group who choose not to benefit from the additional training available through the Pass Plus scheme.

Road Safety

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the Pass Plus subsidy piloted in the Grampian Police area to (a) the Fife region and (b) all areas of Scotland.

Stewart Stevenson: The pilot scheme is being monitored to evaluate its effectiveness in increasing the uptake of Pass Plus. A decision on future support for Pass Plus will depend on the results of the pilot scheme and the outcome of the current review by the Driving Standards Agency on the future of driver training and testing in the UK.

Road Safety

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce any initiatives to encourage the take up of advanced driving training by motorcyclists between the ages of 17 and 25.

Stewart Stevenson: Through Road Safety Scotland, the Scottish Government supports the Bikesafe scheme run by Scottish police forces which aims to help participants become safer and more competent riders.

  Road Safety Scotland provides Bikesafe support materials and also funds the road safety stand at the Scottish Motorcycle Show in March each year. Road Safjety Scotland is developing a point-of-sale resource for motorcyclists which will encourage advanced rider training.

Road Safety

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to publish a 10-year plan to transform Scottish road safety.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government aims to publish its 10 year road safety strategy in Spring 2008.

Road Safety

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) motorists and (b) pedestrians were (i) injured and (ii) killed in each of the last 10 years.

Stewart Stevenson: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Government using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only accidents, in which one or more people are injured, which become known to the police: they do not cover accidents of which the police are unaware because they were not reported by the public.

  Most of the information which has been requested can be obtained from Road Accidents Scotland 2005, which was published by the Scottish Government in November 2006, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41118). In that publication, table 23 provides the numbers of pedestrians who were killed and injured in each year from 1995 to 2005, inclusive, and Table 26 gives the numbers of motorists (drivers or riders of motor vehicles) who were killed and injured in each year from 2001 to 2005, inclusive. It should be noted that, for technical reasons, the table’s category which covers certain other modes of motor transport actually includes a few casualties who were using some non-motorised forms of transport such as horse-drawn vehicles (as is explained in one of the footnotes to table 26). As a result, the total number of drivers or riders using all forms of motor transport also includes a small number of such people.

  Figures for the numbers of motorists killed and injured in each year from 1996 to 2000 inclusive are available from table 30 of Road Accidents Scotland 2000 (Bib. number 17733), which gives figures for 1998, 1999 and 2000 and table 30 of Road Accidents Scotland 1998 (Bib. number 11551), which gives figures for 1996, 1997 and 1998.

  The table below gives figures for 2006 which are on the same basis as those for 2005 and earlier years which appear in Road Accidents Scotland 2005 (those for pedestrians supersede the provisional figures which were published in June in table 6 of Key 2006 Road Accident Statistics).

  Reported Casualties in Road Accidents in Scotland in 2006

  

Type of Road User
Severity of Injury


Killed
Killed and Seriously Injured
All Severities


Motorists(i.e. drivers and riders of motor vehicles - as in Table 26 of Road Accidents Scotland 2005)
184
1,404
8,696


Pedestrians(as in Table 23 of Road Accidents Scotland 2005)
61
743
2,836

Road Safety

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what annual targets it will set to reduce the number of people injured and killed on roads.

Stewart Stevenson: In 2000 the Scottish Government set targets for reductions in road casualties by 2010. The targets are, compared with the average for the years 1994 to 1998:

  a 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured;

  a 50% reduction in the number of children killed or seriously injured, and

  a 10% reduction in the slight casualty rate, expressed as the number of people slightly injured per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

  There are no plans to set annual targets for road casualty reductions, because assessment over a 10 year period provides a more meaningful picture of trends, while annual fluctuations can be misleading.

Road Safety

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, as part of its plans to transform road safety, what discussions it has had with the insurance industry about incentives for young drivers, such as lower premiums for teenagers who drive only during the day.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government intends to engage with the insurance industry on these matters as part of the development of the 10 year road safety strategy for Scotland.

Road Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to use the land use planning system to lower road safety risks.

Stewart Stevenson: Land use planning guides future development and use of land in the long-term public interest. The planning system has a role in encouraging integrated transport which includes ensuring provision of direct and safe access to local facilities by a choice of transport modes. The Scottish Government expects the planning system to prioritise modes of personal travel with walking first, then cycling, public transport and motorised modes. Transport Scotland as trunk roads authority, and elsewhere local authorities as roads authorities, must ensure that new developments take road safety into account.

  In areas where policy is to encourage access on foot, for example town centres, the pedestrian should be given priority over other modes. This should be reinforced through measures to reduce traffic speed, restrict the movement of vehicles and give pedestrians priority over vehicles. Further detail on land use planning and transport including road safety can be found in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 17: Planning for Transport (2005), Planning Advice Note (PAN) 75: Planning for Transport (2005), and PAN 76: New Residential Streets (2005).

Road Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available concerning progress in meeting the targets contained in Tomorrow’s Roads: safer for everyone.

Stewart Stevenson: Progress towards targets is given in section 5, tables 3-5 and the charts on page 6 of Key 2006 Road Accident Statistics published by the Scottish Executive in June 2007 a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42962).

Road Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost to the Executive is of road accidents and what information it has on the annual cost to Scotland of road accidents.

Stewart Stevenson: Tables 10 and 11 of Road Accidents Scotland 2005, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41118), show the result of applying Department for Transport estimates of the average costs of accidents and casualties of different severities to the road accident and casualty figures for Scotland. On this basis, the total cost of all accidents in Scotland was estimated to be £1,382 million per annum based on 2005.

Road Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage international visitors to use Scottish roads safely.

Stewart Stevenson: Road Safety Scotland, funded by the Scottish Government, produces a multilingual leaflet for foreign visitors, which provides advice on how to drive safely on Scotland’s roads. A new series of leaflets, aimed particularly at migrant workers, was issued in April this year. These leaflets, which are available in Polish, Lithuanian, Russian and French, provide detailed information about legal requirements for driving such as driver and vehicle licensing, insurance, speed limits and the law on drink driving.

Road Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive a report from its expert group on road safety.

Stewart Stevenson: The panel of experts will contribute their knowledge and expertise at various stages in the development of the Scottish Road Safety Strategy. There is no requirement for them to submit a formal report.

Rural Affairs

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was provided to agencies in Dumfries and Galloway from the Rural Service Priority Area Programme in 2006-07.

Richard Lochhead: Dumfries and Galloway received a total of £500,000 in 2006-07. This represented £100,000 for each of the five Rural Service Priority Areas identified in the area under the previous administration’s Closing the Opportunity Gap initiative.

Scottish Opera

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address concerns raised by Jonathan Mills, Edinburgh International Festival Director, that it was £200,000 cheaper to import Cologne Opera’s production of Richard Strauss’s Capriccio than to engage Scottish Opera for a new production.

Linda Fabiani: The programme for the Edinburgh International Festival is a matter for the Festival Director, Jonathan Mills. Four of the five National Performing Companies did appear at the 2007 Festival. I understand that Jonathan Mills and the General Director of Scottish Opera did discuss the possibility of Scottish Opera appearing but decided that this would not be possible on this occasion. I also understand that discussions about the possibility of Scottish Opera appearing at the Festival in future are on-going.

Teachers

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many assaults on teachers in the workplace were reported in each year since 1990, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: Information on the number of reported incidents of violence or antisocial behaviour were collected centrally between 1998-99 and 2002-03 only. The following table showing the breakdown by local authority was provided to the Education Committee in 2004.

  Figures include verbal and physical abuse, as well as incidents against personal property, against both teaching and non-teaching staff and cover pre-school as well as school.

  It is not necessarily valid to draw the inference that the actual number of incidents had increased by the amount shown between the years. Figures from different local authorities are also not generally comparable. These differences may be due to different reporting procedures.

  

 
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03


Aberdeen City
321
709
669
675
566


Aberdeenshire
48
8
143
134
154


Angus
48
39
81
129
109


Argyll and Bute
40
95
83
105
126


Clackmannanshire
13
24
22
18
55


Dumfries and Galloway
29
44
40
29
37


Dundee City
207
201
412
521
458


East Ayrshire
28
28
23
31
47


East Dunbartonshire
32
58
88
76
79


East Lothian
12
47
48
36
52


East Renfrewshire
15
29
16
41
68


Edinburgh, City of
181
289
381
427
484


Eilean Siar
0
2
19
1
230


Falkirk
3
30
168
397
756


Fife
64
259
414
650
588


Glasgow City
123
139
258
357
616


Highland
17
24
166
164
282


Inverclyde
15
39
50
94
182


Midlothian
59
69
96
144
169


Moray
52
34
32
91
44


North Ayrshire
12
70
110
102
264


North Lanarkshire
158
178
178
270
386


Orkney Islands
3
5
3
6
1


Perth and Kinross
46
122
311
245
267


Renfrewshire
47
52
78
91
370


Scottish Borders
7
5
24
51
35


Shetland Islands
1
3
20
17
17


South Ayrshire
153
145
111
101
34


South Lanarkshire
48
87
129
124
118


Stirling
4
73
75
105
95


West Dunbartonshire
50
110
117
87
61


West Lothian
62
66
136
93
149


Scotland
1,898
3,083
4,501
5,412
6,899

Training

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address skills gaps in key industries.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government published its skills strategy on Monday 10 September and I would refer the member to that publication, understanding current and projected demand for skills to prepare for further skills needs is one of the key objectives.

Transport

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the resources in the central unallocated provision is earmarked for major transport projects.

Stewart Stevenson: All pressures across the Scottish Executive will be reviewed as part of the wider current Scottish Executive Spending Review SSR07.

Transport

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish research on the impact of the Pass Plus pilot scheme, carried out in the Grampian Police area for six months from February 2007.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot scheme in increasing the uptake of Pass Plus in the Grampian Police area and will make this information available in due course. No externally commissioned research is being carried out at this stage.

  The whole issue of driver training and testing is currently the subject of a detailed review by the Driving Standards Agency and it is expected that this will include consideration of Pass Plus.

Transport

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend access to Pass Plus advanced driving tuition for young people and what estimates have been made of the likely cost of such an extension.

Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-3680 on 13 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  The estimated annual cost of extending support for Pass Plus across Scotland, on a similar basis to the recent pilot scheme, would be a maximum of £3.3 million per annum.

Voluntary Sector

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to assist voluntary and other not-for-profit organisations in working with young people who are, or are at risk of being, not in education, employment or training.

Fiona Hyslop: The third sector provides a unique contribution predominantly at the point of early engagement with young people who are, or are not at risk of being not in education, employment or training.

  We have asked local partnerships delivering our more choices, more chances agenda to work towards better engagement of the third sector, and to make better use of all existing resources so that employability provision joins up with wider provision.

  We recognise there are barriers, for example around funding arrangements and engagement in strategic planning activity, to more effective engagement of the third sector. We are considering how we can tackle those barriers, both generally and with specific reference to young people who need more choices and chances.

Water Safety

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions are being taken by Scottish Water in response to the 14,390 complaints in 2006 about discoloured water, shown in table 3.6b of Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2006.

Richard Lochhead: Scottish Water has been tasked by the Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) with improving drinking water quality at 39 treatment works across Scotland to address colour problems as part of the current capital investment programme which covers the period 2006 to 2010. This represents improvements to drinking water quality for around 1 million customers.

Weeds Act 1959

Ian McKee (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken under the Weeds Act 1959 or other legislation to control the spread of ragwort, Japanese knotweed and other injurious weeds.

Richard Lochhead: The Weeds Act 1959 empowers ministers to serve a notice requiring the occupier of land to control the spread of five injurious weeds: common ragwort, broad-leaved dock, curled dock, creeping thistle and spear thistle.

  Local officers of the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspection Directorate investigate all written complaints about ragwort. This would include making a site visit and carrying out an inspection. Where ragwort is found on agricultural land, written advice on control action is given to the occupier and a follow-up visit undertaken. Where the ragwort is on non-agricultural land, the complaint is passed on to the relevant authority – either the local authority, or, when ragwort is found on a trunk road, the trunk road operating company. Where an occupier fails to take control action following service of a notice, ministers are also empowered to have the control action carried out and to recover the costs from the occupier.

  Japanese knotweed is not listed under the Weeds Act 1959, but is covered by other legislation. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it is an offence to plant or otherwise cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild. Japanese knotweed and soil containing particles of this plant are regarded as controlled waste under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Local authorities also have powers under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 to take action where Japanese knotweed (and other invasive species) poses a threat to the local amenity of an area.